Adalyn
by universallypurple
Summary: Max and the Flock are running from the School, not knowing that there are others like them. Hundreds, maybe. They are forced to face this fact when Adalyn, a teenage avian human is saved by the Flock. With her comes knowledge that the School is still running its twisted experiments on babies and infants. Note: This story does not exactly follow the plot, and is ok for ages 12 plus.
1. Chapter 1

**Adalyn's POV**

I, Adalyn Wing, leaned against the side of the rusty truck I had just exited, my wings folded into her back under a loose t-shirt and a cropped jeans jacket. My wavy lavender hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and my arms were crossed over my chest. I wore a grim expression. This might have been my birthday, but it was also a time to remember... her. And it wasn't safe to think about her at the moment. I had nothing, and going on a rescue mission right now would be waltzing into my own death. I wasn't about to do that.

I surveyed the area around me with steely blue-grey eyes. The town was small and dusty, but I had seen worse. Travelling across the United States makes you see things that aren't exactly awesome. I've seen ghost towns, stayed in places where it flooded every month. Then again, I've lived in areas where the weather was beautiful and everyone around you is marvelous. This town was mediocre, but it had to do. I had already parked the car anyway.

Was I really supposed to be driving? The lawful answer was definitely no. the only way I could be driving is with my parents and a learners permit. There are two ways I violate that. Firstly, I don't even have parents. Second, I drive a stolen car. I stole it a few months back when I realized that backpacking cross-country wasn't nearly going to be fast or efficient enough to avoid the School and its stupid Erasers. My other options were flying and bicycling, but I couldn't fly in plain sight, and I basically sucked at bicycling fast. I dreamed of getting a motorcycle someday, but for now this decades-old rust bucket that had essentially fallen apart would have to do.

Grabbing my backpack, I headed to the nearest motel. By some chance, I was able to sneak by the attendant by saying I was the daughter of one of the people staying at the motel. I guess "William" was a common name, because when I said I was the daughter of William, she nodded and gave me a room key. I had asked for a separate room, mentioning teen privacy, and I got one right next to this "William" character. I hoped he liked paying for two rooms for as long as I had to stay. I giggled at the thought, sashaying past the receptionist with my head held high.

I just hoped no Erasers could get me here. I had barely escaped their clutches last time, and I was certainly not inclined to risk that again. They had gotten bigger, and stronger, I thought as I drifted to sleep on the uncomfortable cot. If four or five of them came at me at once... I didn't stand a chance. My only bet then would be to fly out, something that I'm not exactly inclined to do.

 **Max's POV**

Fang and I had just returned from the grocery store when we heard the familiar growl of Erasers. I sighed, calling out to the others, while Fang finished getting our groceries. "Erasers! You guys know what to do!" I yelled over the noise. I set my groceries down (potato chips and other junk food fit for an avian human), running onto the roof using the ladder we had installed for times like this, and taking off into the air. Surveying the scene outside our temporary house, it seemed as if only three Erasers had managed to find us. That was good. We could take three before they call for reinforcements. "Fang! Iggy! Help me out here!" I called to my fellow Flock members, flying down onto the soft grass.

Fang and Iggy emerged, with Nudge in tow. Together, the four of us turned to the growling erasers., who proceeded to attack us head on.

Bad idea, suckers. We each took one, Nudge teaming with Iggy because, well, you know. Iggy can't exactly see who he's attacking. I took the big one, eliminating him in a matter of minutes using my experimental strategy: kick and punch randomly and flail around until the eraser passes out. It worked surprisingly well, and I turned to see that Fang had pinned his Eraser to the ground, and Iggy and Nudge were currently punching the living daylights out of their Eraser. I smiled at their tactic, and soon we had all regrouped. "I'll get Angel and Gazzy," Nudge grinned at me from adrenaline rush. None of us were all to tired, as we had been through this situation numerous times before.

"I think it's time we move spots again," Fang spoke tactically. He was right, of course. Did I mention? Me and the Flock (The name for our group- Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Fang, and me, Max) are on the run from the School. All you need to know about them is that they are evil, like, mad scientist evil, and they gave me and the Flock wings. They've experimented on other people too, but we don't know how many. Right now, we have no plan, except don't get captured.

"True. Let's go. We can cross that mountain range and take a break overnight. then, we'll head to the nearest town from there," I agreed with Fang. Nudge emerged with the rest of our group soon enough for them to hear my plan They all gave their affirmation. "Oh, and we got sandwiches from the grocery store, so eat up while you can!"

 **AN: So this story doesn't exactly follow the plot of Maximum Ride, but I will try my best to adhere to it. This is a story involving my OC, Adalyn, but I promise it's not going to be a story where she gets everything and is 100x better than the rest of the Flock. Girl's got PROBLEMS! If I finish this story, I do intend to make it a trilogy, IF I have time. That's it for now. Peace! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Adalyn's POV**

I woke up groggily, trying to decide whether I should stay in this town for a few more days or fly out today. The best bet would probably be fly today, but then again I really needed a break.

In the end, after much deliberating over breakfast, I decided to stay two more days, unless the Erasers catch up to me. That's unlikely though. I'm far enough away from the last spot they caught up to me (a densely populated city miles away from here) that it would be a miracle for them if they ever found me here. I could have gone anywhere, and as far as I know they have no way of tracking me. After breakfast, I decided to trek up to the lake overlooking the town, Lake Everstill, in hopes that it could give me a break from the endless running and I would have some time to relax. It was a secluded enough spot that it'd probably be safe to open my wings up there. Smiling, I hiked to the top, and unfurled my wings. It felt so satisfying after weeks of hiding them from sight and only using my truck for travel.

My wings were blue and grey, in the pattern of a blue-jay's. I was 7% blue-jay and 93% human. According to scientists at the School, I had wigs grafted onto my body at the infant age, and… he and I were the first to have that much avian genetics. His were that of a steller's jay, but I try not to think about that too much, or guilt will consume me. There's nothing I could have done, I tell myself as I swim in the water, my wings soaked and weighing me down. It's hard to swim when you're a bird kid.

Internally, I know I am wrong, and there are so many things I could have done differently to save him. Can't dwell on that, I remembered. Just keep running from the pain and never let it catch up. I knew that letting my pain get the best of me meant falling into a downward spiral of anxiety and guilt trips.

Eventually, I felt reinvigorated enough to step out of the water onto dry land. My normally light-purple hair looked much darker because of the water, making my face look out of kilter, but maybe it was just because of the blackness of the lake's surface. In it, I looked a year older that I was.

Shrugging, I pulled a yellow sweater on top of my white undershirt and black jeans. My hair was back in a ponytail, higher on my head this time and coming down in waves. I'd change into my fighter clothes once I got back to the hotel. They were these awesome "tough" clothes I had modified so that my wings would easily slide in and out. It looked pretty good, if I did say so myself.

 **Max's POV**

"C'mon guys! Chop chop chop, we're losing daylight!" I clapped in their faces and shouted to wake them up. We needed time to fly to the town before the Erasers caught up.

"Max, it's literally six in the morning," Nudge groaned, rubbing her head.

"It's also literally time to go!" I said enthusiastically, throwing a bag of food at Angel's face to get her to wake up.

"The sun hasn't even rose!" Iggy complained. I whacked him over the head with a handful of Doritos bags from our pile of groceries.

"We need time to eat and stretch before we go, so wake up, party people!" By now, my shouting and various food projectiles had woken most of the Flock up, although they all looked half asleep and about ready to murder me. "Hey, don't look at me that way, you know I'm right," I received various grunts and nods, before they began to dig through our remaining food. Gazzy was still pretending to be asleep, but he jumped out of bed at the mention of food.

"Right, So the town is northwest, that way," I pointed northwest, where a map I had picked up in a public library told me the town was. "And it should take us about and hour and a half to fly there, so move your butts,"

It ended up taking us two hours because of wind currents blowing in the opposite direction and a break because Nudge was hungry again. Thankfully, w Us bird kids eat wayyyy more than regular teens, even when they are going. Even small bird kids need an extra thousand calories. That's right we eat 3,000 calories a day when we're kids. It's more like 4,000 as adults.

When we finally arrived, we checked into a motel, telling the receptionist that our car was being towed here at the moment. She raised an eyebrow, and I didn't blame her. Even the oldest of us could barely pass as sixteen or seventeen. Nonetheless, she gave us a room key. Yes, I said 'a'. One room four six bird kids. We barely had enough money for that.

"Okay, we're staying here for four days, unless we're attacked before then. Understood?" I waited for their approval, continuing after I got it. "Alright, time to see what this town has to offer!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Adalyn's POV**

I returned to the motel after lunch, changing clothes into my fight clothes, and began lying on the cot, listening to my iPod. I had stolen it from one of the scientists in the School, and it was one of my most prized possessions. The iPod was a great way to stay up-to-date with new music, even if it was three years old and the audio wasn't great. Still, it was my only connection to the real world. I mean, without a phone or any news, it was nearly impossible to learn what was going on. Sure, music wouldn't tell me what was going on inside or outside of the US, but it felt better than nothing. I was halfway through _Centuries_ by Fall Out Boy (one of my favorite songs) when I heard muffled voices next door. These plaster walls were _not_ soundproof, even through my earbuds. Like I said, bad audio.

"Give me the chips!" raised voice. Female. A slight Californian accent.

"Max, I'm not giving you more potato chips, you've had four bags!" A masculine voice this time. The girl must be Max. This guy's voice was way deep.

"Iggy, tell him to give me the chips!" Max again. She must really want more chips.

"Fang's right. I can't even see, but I've heard all the munching you've been doing," This must be Iggy. So he's blind? His voice was light, but still male.

"Ugh. Just one more bag?" Max pleaded.

"NO." I supposed this guy was Fang, based on what the Iggy dude said.

"Quiet down!" I yelled through the wall, hoping they'd hear. "I'm trying to listen to music here!" After my outburst, which they undoubtedly heard with the walls being in the shape they were, it quieted down. Thank god. I needed to get out of this motel.

I headed up to the lake again, hoping it would clear my mind, but I barely got halfway before I was ambushed.

Five Erasers. Why five? Two I could handle. Three on a good day. But five? Not even in my best shape could I take on five at once. They came streaming from the hills, running at me in all of their glory. I got one down with no problem. Two ganged up on me, and I could barely fend off their attacks, much less handle offense. I was having flashbacks to the intense fighting I did in the School, and I hit them with all the anger I had.

I managed to subdue one and throw off the other, but not before it slashed its claws into my side, creating a large gash.

I was dizzy from blood loss already, collapsing onto the ground. I was out of practice and I knew it. The last thing I saw before passing out is six shapes rushing to attack the remaining Erasers.

 **Max's POV**

I stomped out of the hotel after Fang and Iggy both said I couldn't have more chips. What the heck, guys? I want my chips!

That was when I saw them. There was a girl with lavender hair and a blackish fighter's uniform. She was surrounded by five Erasers, and she fought them with much agility. She evaded most of their blows, but I could tell that she was overwhelmed and would pass out soon if I left her.

The Erasers were here for me and the Flock, and I wasn't about to let innocent bystanders get hurt. I ran the half mile back into the hotel, grabbing Fang. "We… get flock… now… five Erasers… girl," I said between pants. Fang nodded, seeming to understand but still looking confused. He went to grab the rest of the Flock.

Soon we had everyone, and to make it easier we flew back to the Erasers instead of walking. Much faster.

The girl was close to passing out, and she had been knocked to the floor by one of the few remaining Erasers. Impressive that she had managed to fend them off for that long. I joined the fray, using my soon-to-be-patented "flailing around and kicking" technique, while Fang made precise kicks and punches. Nudge was on the back of her Eraser and was punching while riding piggyback, while Gazzy and Angel had teamed up on one Eraser. I noticed that Purple Hair Girl had passed out with a large gash across her side. Of course she had. Who could single-handedly take on five Erasers?

Soon, we'd eliminated all the Erasers, with only mild injuries. "Record time, guys!" I tried to encourage them. Gazzy and Nudge smiled, their faces dirty and tired. The rest of them just nodded. "Okay, we need to get out of here, bring the girl, and get a shower," I decided. "We seriously stink,"

"I'm a bit wary about bringing the girl. What if it's a trap from the School?" Fang pondered. Nudge glared at him (she must want a friend badly), but Angel and Iggy nodded.

"She didn't seem out to get us, but I only heard her thoughts for a few seconds before the Erasers attacked us. They were all about getting away and fighting," Angel told us. "And she's unconscious now, sooo, no thoughts,"

"I say we bring her. What's the worst that could happen?" Gazzy shuffled his feet. "She seemed strong, anyways, and she could be friendly,"

"Let's bring her and have Angel read her when she wakes up," I ruffled Angel's hair, and she smiled up at me, nodding. Sure, the mind-reading ability was a bit uncanny, but it could come in handy in these situations.

"Gotcha!"

 **AN: Short chapter, I know ;-;. But she's meeting the Flock soon, so the next chapters should be a bit** **longer! Then again, a chapter every day so far, so be picky about the length all you want haha. bye for now :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Adalyn's POV (I swear I'll stop switching soon)**

I woke up, rubbing my eyes groggily. My hair was probably so messy right now. But who cared anyway? Nobody else shared this room with me. Trying to sit up, I yelped, clutching my side. This was what I got for getting attacked by five Erasers and not trying to fly away. Ugh.

Looking around at my surroundings, I noticed a yellow-painted room with white furniture. This bet was mildly comfy, and I saw my bags in the side of the room. My truck had _not_ been transported into the room, which I was mildly annoyed about. It was trash, but at least I could go places with it. Whoever put me here probably hadn't had the sense to take it.

I noticed something peeking out of the side of my bag. Smiling, I reached down, wincing with every move, and grabbed the iPod, plugging it in to listen to my playlist. Maybe Coldplay or Imagine Dragons?

As soon as I began to listen, a young boy ran into the room. He grinned when he saw that I was awake, and called to whoever else was here. "Ma-ax! Purple Hair Girl's awake!" He yelled across the room to a girl that looked about my age, who seemed to be chasing him. She ran into the room, a young angelic-looking girl in tow. After grabbing them each by the ear and telling them not to steal food, she turned to me and blinked, stunned. Was my hair really that bad?

"Alright, So you were attacked by Erasers. We saved you. Tell us about yourself so we can decide whether to kill you or not,"

"Well, that's morbid." I laughed. "I'm not gonna tell you much about as I just met you, so don't expect a full life story, but my name is Adalyn. So please don't call me Purple Haired Girl," I looked pointedly at the boy. Now that I saw both of them together, the younger girl and boy looked alike. Siblings, perhaps?

"Max started it!" The boy pointed at Max. I thought back to my time in the hotel. Was this the same Max as before? She certainly sounded like it.

"Okay, well I better not be labeled by my hair color anymore," I giggled to let the boy know that I was joking.

"I'm Gazzy. Or the Gasman. Whatever ya want. That's Angel, and she's my sister!" Gazzy said. Wonder what kind of parents would name their child Gasman. Seriously? But I nodded. So I was right about them being related.

At that moment, two more people crammed into the room. It wasn't large, and looked crowded with this many people. They were two guys, one all in black, with dark eyes and black hair with a disinterested look, and one had strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes that seemed to be staring into nothingness.

"I'm Iggy. This is Fang," the blonde one said, pointing at Emo Nightmare, or as Iggy called him, 'Fang'. As I thought that, Angel burst out laughing. I tore my gaze from Fang and to the girl.

"Whatcha laughing at?" I questioned, looking at her quizzically.

"Emo… Nightmare…" Angel said between giggles. How did she know what I was thinking? Did I say it out loud? I turned red, noticing Fang's glare, and a smile from Gazzy and Max.

"It takes a lot to get my sister to laugh," Gazzy said, still grinning. "But that's an accurate description of you, Fang,"

"Did you freaking read my thoughts?" I shouted accusingly at Angel. She nodded, and I immediately thought of everything I needed to keep hidden. Now this freaky girl knew all of it. Could this get much worse? Angel suddenly stopped smiling upon hearing those thoughts. She shut down with a solemn expression. Did she know about the School now? My wings? Would they be freaked out? But then I realized that she probably already knew about the School's experiments. Max had mentioned Erasers, so at least she must know something about the School.

A new preppy-looking girl ran into the room, crashing right into Max and Iggy and knocking them over. "You're awake, you're awake!" She grinned. "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tell you all about us, and can you be my friend and stay with us? I mean I know you're Max's age but I am in desperate need of someone to talk to and you look so nice-"

"Nudge! Don't ambush her yet!" Max said. She had just gotten up and was helping Iggy up. "Sorry," she said, turning to me.

"It's so crowded in here!" Gazzy complained. I nodded, agreeing with him.

"And I need some more rest, I think," I lied back down on the bed, tired from meeting all these new people.

"Understood. Everyone, out!" Max commanded, gesturing to the door. The rest of the group filed out one by one, leaving me to contemplate whether to stay here or not.

 **Max's POV**

Adalyn seemed trustworthy enough, but just in case, I pulled the Flock to the side to talk to about what Angel sensed in her thoughts. Most people seemed okay with her, except Fang who was mildly pissed off, but we had to be sure about her.

"Well, she's definitely not out to kill us. She seems nice, and regards us all as comrades, hopefully new friends. She's definitely been to the School before, a different location of it for four years, but her experiences there are… blurred, almost. I can tell she went through stuff like we did, but I don't specifically know what. She also… has a brother. I know nothing about him. It's just hidden," Angel seemed stumped. "Anyway, she's been on the run for the last four years. That's all I can tell," I was a bit startled by the 'from another school' part, but it wasn't a surprise that they had expanded. I was expecting it.

"Well, I'm worried about the hidden part, but I say we keep her. She can become part of our team if she seems trustworthy enough. If not? We can take her,"

"Agreed," Fang said, then went back into the room he shared with Iggy.

"Seems fine to me," That was Iggy. He followed Fang shortly after commenting.

"I trust her," Gasman.

"One hundred percent yes!" Nudge said with enthusiasm. She must see Adalyn as a role model or something. I was kind of jealous. Adalyn would never replace me though, and I knew it. Not to be full of myself or anything, but I'm basically the Flock's leader.

I dragged Nudge to the room that she and I shared, seeing as we were the only ones left after Angel and Gazzy shared a room (siblings) and Fang and Iggy shared a room. They were close friends, and the only fourteen year old guys here, anyway.

"I'm taking a nap before dinner," I announced. Nudge nodded, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Adalyn's POV**

I woke up a day later, my side and wing wounds partly healed already. My healing was definitely faster than an average human, but not as fast as most of the experiments from the School. Their wounds would have probably already closed up if they were in my position. It kind of made me want to go back to the school and demand they give me fast healing, but I'd probably end up with panic attacks if I ever returned to that horror show.

Sighing, I hauled myself out of bed, with a bit less pain then before. I searched my pack that they had kindly left in my room for some suitable clothing. Camo shirt and black jacket, it was, since everything else smelled foul and needed badly to be washed. I also put a fresh bandage on my wound, just in case of infection. Hey, with mad scientists chasing after you, you can never be too careful.

I limped around the house, exploring it as much as I could in my partially fatigued state. Iggy and Gazzy were up, planning something and writing various blueprints for… something. Missiles? Couldn't be sure. Gazzy was doing most of the work, as Iggy couldn't see what he was doing. Iggy would say something about projectile length or aerodynamics, and then I'd hear the scribbling of Gazzy's pencil as he made more notes on the poster board.

Walking by them, I noticed that everyone else was asleep, and the sounds of Iggy and Gazzy at work were the only ones to be heard. Looking out the window, I noticed that the sun wasn't yet high in the sky, and it looked to be fairly early. Nudge had passed out on the only couch in this apartment-sized house that seemed far too small for seven people. I sighed, eyeing the sofa sadly. I'd just have to find some chair to sit in instead.

I sat across from Gazzy and Iggy, on the dining table. They hardly noticed, what with their plans going on. "You guys have any food?" I asked them. "Oh- sorry for interrupting your plans," They seemed startled at first, but then nodded. Gazzy pointed toward an open doorway that led to a small kitchen.

"Top cupboard. There's a few remaining sandwiches, I hope you like roast beef," Iggy replied, then turning back to his conversation with Gazzy. Right now they seemed to be arguing over what material was the most highly combustable, an argument I did not want to get involved in.

I ran to the kitchen, grabbing two sandwiches. Both were roast beef, since that was the only flavor left. I thought about taking a bag of barbecue chips, or perhaps Doritos, from the neighboring cabinet, but then remembered how protective Max had been of them, and chose life. Scarfing down the sandwiches gave me a while afterward to sit and think, out in the back patio. No sounds over here to distract me. Joy. See, thinking for me wasn't exactly… good. It made me remember everything that I had done wrong and what I could've done instead. Soon, a flashback arrived.

" _We can do this," I told him. "Siblings for the win!" At least I kept the same humor and enthusiasm as always._

" _Okay, So I'll disable the machines and you knock out the scientists. Right?" Now he was getting it. He actually looked... eager. I was glad, what with him being so down on himself these past few days. The School did that to you._

" _Correct." I gave him a high-five, and we split up. He had a knack for unlocking crates and doors, and finally, when we had been left unsupervised, he cracked our crate's code. He'd be doing the same for the lock on the School's precious machines._

 _I ran outside the hall while my brother ran the other way. I managed to subdue the three scientists outside our door before they even knew what was going on. I smiled. Fighting didn't give me pleasure, but I did get an exhilaration by eliminating my enemies. Did that sound evil? Maybe. Oh, well._

 _I crossed another pathway, into the East Wing. I was almost to the hall where he and I agreed that we would meet up at, when I heard a blaring noise echoing off the white walls of the School._

 _An alarm sounded, blaring through the lab. He must have accidentally shut it off. This… complicated things. Two scientists came my way, and I knocked them out with the help of my brother, who had finally arrived. He had ran into this room, escaping the machine's room all the while being pursued by six Erasers. I tugged on the handle of the door that would lead us outside. From there, all we had to do was fly high enough that nobody could find us. We'd live the life we deserved- a life on the run, but knotholes, a life._

 _Finally, we emerged from the building for the first time since I was three and he was a baby, for the first time since they took us. I was ten years old now, and he was seven, and we seriously needed a break from the foul School._

 _What we hadn't accounted for was the fact that it was raining outside. and my brother slipped, falling right outside of the School. "No time," I mumbled, running to him and pushing him up, so that he leaned onto my shoulder. It was raining too hard for us to fly, so we were stuck running- hobbling- on the slippery rocks surrounding the School. My brother's hand slipped from mine, wet with rainwater, as I watched his small body fall away from mine._

" _EDEN!" I screamed. He fell down the rocks, and into the clutches of the scientists. They grabbed him, flanked by Erasers._

" _Go, Adalyn!" He said. They held a gun to his head before I knew what was happening. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with rainwater. Eden was too_ _young to die. We couldn't die, now that we were so close to freedom._

" _If you go, your brother will die," she said, looking at me with a stoic face. It hurts when you're slapped with the truth. And she_ was _telling the truth. We had failed. They had won, just like they always did. It wasn't fair!_

" _Just go!" Eden told me. I opened my wings, beating them hard and slipping to get back to him. I pushed the scientists, grabbing the woman's gun before she knew it. "Fly! FLY!" Eden yelled._

 _I heeded his words, flapping hard to escape the School. I was in a panic, I had to get away! It wasn't like i was abandoning my brother or anything._

 _Oh, wait._

 _Collapsing in a cave a mile later, I was overcome with guilt. I might never see my brother again, and as far as I knew he had been shot. No time to think about that._ _They'd be sending Erasers after me soon, and I needed to escape._

Blinking, I was brought back to the present by Nudge shaking my shoulder. She must have woken up already. "Can I braid your hair? It's such a cool color!" I nodded numbly, still thinking about Eden. Maybe these people could help me. They know about the School, right?

"Hey Nudge?" I shifted in my seat to give her better access to my hair.

"Yeah?" She split my hair in two and started French braiding the right side first.

"Do you know about the School?" Nudge stiffened.

"Yes, why?" She said curtly after a moment of awkward silence.

"I have a bit of history there, and was wondering if your group could help me. You did save me, after all," I tried to say it in the least threatening way possible, so she wasn't worried about me working for the School, or the Erasers.

"The Flock."

"What?"

"That's our group. We call ourselves the Flock, because we're somewhat like birds, and we stick together." She sounded like she was trying to avoid giving away secrets about this 'Flock', but I had the beginnings of an idea as to why they were in the School.

"Like birds? How so?" Could they really be like me? Probably not, but it was worth trying

"I can't tell you," I nodded, and she went back to braiding my hair, in a stiff silence. The conversation was over.


	6. Chapter 6

**One week later**

"We're headed to DC, and your wounds seem almost healed. Would you care to accompany us?" Max faced me, slamming a map on the desk we stood at, with a route mapped from our location to DC. We were having a Flock meeting, and I was actually included, for once. I didwant to go with them, of course. Without my old truck, I had no means of getting anywhere except flying, and that wasn't going to do much good. My wings had been cut up along with my side, and without other people to fly with me, I'd be a lost cause.

"I'll go. But how are we gonna get there?" If my suspicions that the flock was mutants was correct, they'd most likely be flying there. Obviously, thy had no way of knowing that I had wings, so I wondered how they planned to take me with them to DC. I suppose I could be carried by two of them, but that wouldn't do well for their flying ability and speed.

"Yeah, about that-" Iggy started, but was quickly cut off. I felt for the kid. Being blind, he was often overlooked completely.

"We're flying." Max announced, interrupting. "We kinda have… wings," I did an inner victory dance. I was right about them! They were mutants as well. Or they're regular humans who were delirious enough to think they were angels. I'm gonna go with the first one, though. Now that I knew other people had wings, I really didn't feel as alone anymore. They could share in my misery. And who knows? According to Nudge, they did know about the School, so maybe they'd help me get him back. Of course, even with seven people it would probably be a suicide mission. I was so lost in thought that I forgot that they didn't even know I had wings. If I just blanked out, they might think I was having a seizure or something crazy like that. I remembered to act surprised. Time to test my acting skills. I had managed to keep my wings secret for an entire week, and I wasn't going to spoil that just yet. I was waiting until the time was right to reveal my secret.

"Like, airplane wings?" I asked, trying to sound completely ignorant. It seemed to be working, but I saw Angel look t me funnily, then broke out in a smile. Had she read mi mind? Probably. Max shook her head in response to my airplane question, proceeding to extend large, magnificent wings from her back. They were beautiful, and the brown and white mixed together in a perfect blend. I'd never seen wings on another person, save for Eden's white-and-grey mix, and I must say, they looked nice on her. She somehow just fit them. Iggy was next to stretch out his, then Fang, then Nudge, then Gazzy and Angel. Each time I was more awed by there display. And this time, it wasn't an act. I think the wings are probably the only beautiful thing the scientists at the School had managed to produce.

I took a deep breath, thinking over the decision, then extended my wings. I knew that all of them deserved to know about them if I was to journey all the way to DC with the lot of them. They'd be shocked, probably. Unless that Angel girl had seen them in my mind. She was definitely creepy, but I'd actually became quite close to her. She… grows on you.

Even Angel looked astonished when I let out my blue-grey wings. Huh, so maybe she hadn't seen them in my mind. "I think I'll be good with the flying part," I said, grinning. They were still in a state of shock. The first to snap out of it was Nudge, who said "It's not fair! I want blue wings!"

"No you don't. I'm a freaking part songbird! Your wings are probably so much stronger," I encouraged. She nodded warily.

"I mean, they help, I guess, but still," she looked disappointed, but I patted her shoulder.

"I love your wings," I told her.

The rest of the Flock had stopped staring at my wings, and were looking at me suspiciously. "Why haven't you told us this? And why didn't Angel sense this in your brain?" Max looked at me, her gaze trying to see into my brain. "How do we know you aren't a spy for the School?"

"Me? Work for the School? Yeah, and pigs fly too," I said, rolling my eyes. "Look, I hate the School as much as you do."

"She's telling the truth," Angel interjected. I smiled at her, giving a silent thank you.

"You're just a kid, Angel. How can we know if she's hiding something from you?" Max snapped. "Remember, the whitecoats were the one who gave you your power, and _they're_ the ones who control it." I was somewhat surprised, seeing as Max seemed to love the dove hybrid. I could hardly blame her, though. The School was full of scientific bullcrap.

"We can't trust her to not be hiding more from us," Fang stated diplomatically, turning away. "End of discussion."

"I'm right here, guys! I can hear you talking about me!" I said, offended. At least Nudge and Angel seemed to be on my side. Iggy and Gazzy hadn't said anything, but I figured Gazzy was probably on my side, and Iggy was on Max's, by the way the pair was looking at me. Well, Iggy couldn't actually _look_ at me, but he seemed to be more on the opposite side. I sighed. The Flock was split 50/50, excluding me. And all the older ones, the leaders, were against me. What the heck, guys? Am I really that suspicious just for having these freaking wings?

Hey, at least the mind-reader was on my side. That's gotta be a good thing, right?

 **A/N: I know I'm not updating daily anymore, but once every few days should satisfy you guys. I still want to have this book fished soon, I just don't want rushed content, y'know? Thank you guys for the awesome reviews, keep giving them! I have the next few chapters written up, but I'm stuck on the ending of a chapter. Do you guys want some Iggy x Adalyn up in here or nah? Keep reading and reviewing!**


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